Sorting of perforated cards and sheets



'Jan. 20, 1942.

E. K. PORTMAN-DIXON 2,270,786 SORTING OF PERFORATED CARDS AND SHEETS Filed May 20, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor E-K. PDRTM 41v 111x on Amway 1942- E. K. PORTMAN-DIXON 2,270,786

S ORTING OF PERFORATED CARDS AND SHEETS Filed May 20, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 5 1 Fig. i 50 74 53 56 74 71 I 5 0 72 d 3 73 F 73 5 55 75 I itl-omeg' Jan. 20, 1942. E. K. PORTMAN-DIXON 2,270,786

SORTING OF PERFORATED CARDS AND SHEETS Filed May 20, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 fill endow E.K. PORTMAN-UI XON ham 26 5a,;

Patented Jan. 20, 1942 OFFICE SORTING OF PERFORATED CARDS AND SHEETS Ernest Kemp Portman-Dixon, Teddington, England Application May 20, 1940, Serial No. 336,297 In Great Britain J une 13, 1938 5 Claims.

This invention relates broadly to the compilation of statistics by the segregation or sorting of perforated cards or sheets bearing different characteristics or data, and it has more especial reference, firstly, to the sorting of statistical forms or cards in common use in factories and offices, or for example, to the sorting of the copies of customers invoices, bills or sales checks retained for record in large concerns such as departmental stores employing numerous sales assistants whose operations require to be classi-. fied or analysed, either departinentally or individually, or both, periodically for accountancy and other purposes; and secondly, to the selective sorting of the copies. or the counterfoils, of customers invoices, bills or sales checks retained by the cashiers in restaurants, multiple-shop caterers, or under other similar conditions in which it is necessary to classify or analyse the shop assistants or waitresses invoices or bills daily.

The operation to which the invention is applicable may be regarded as falling into three main categories, that is to say, firstly, the simple selective manual sorting of statistical forms,

other document, in sheet or card form, requiring to be sorted into a number of different designations, which are received. by the operator in a flow; and thirdly, the sorting of statistical forms, cards, sales bills, invoices, and the like when in bulk without reference to order, designation or group. 7

Consequently, under some conditions, the invention involves simple manual sorting, while under others it includes continuous automatic sorting, the fundamental principle being the same in each case.

The invention is of especial utility in connection with the sorting of thin sheets of paper of the flimsy nature of invoices or sales checks; it is, however, also applicable to perforatedrecord cards, forms or the like.

The primary object of the invention is to enable perforated sheets to be classified or sorted in one operation by being constrained to become threaded individually in succession, about a common axis normal to them, in such manner that sheets of identical characteristics gravitate into groups whereof the angular positions vary for the different characteristics or data concerned,

the groups thus sorted in the one operation being thereafter segregated.

Another object of the invention is to provid sheets (which may be in book, pad or other form) capable of being classified or sorted in the above manner and, to that end, formed with one or more perforations. whereof the disposition angularly with respect to an axis normal to said sheets varies for the different characteristics or data concerned; and a further object being to provide sheet-engaging apparatus including one or more sorting members, complementary to said perforation, or perforations, whereon said sheets are caused, by the creation of relative angular movement between them and the sorting member or members, individually to become by gravity impaled, each sheet being pro vided with a segregating perforation in a position common to all of them as is already known.

In one form of the invention, the sheets are perforated according to a diagram or pattern, or to a plurality of diagrams or patterns, common to all, and whereof the position ona sheet changes orbitally of an axis'normal to a sheet for the different characteristics or data concerned; and a sheet-engaging sorting device is provided, including a group of threader rods complementary to said perforated pattern upon which the sheets are caused, by the creation of relative angular movement between them and said threader rods, individually under gravity to become impaled in groups having like characteristics.

This angular movementmay either be imparted to each sheet, or to the sorting device;

When sheets such as invoices or sales checks which have been folded or crumpled by transmission through a pneumatic or like coin despatch apparatus are to be sorted, means are preferably associated with the sorting device for the purpose of smoothing the creases in the sheets and providing downward pressure so as to enable the perforation therein to register with the aforesaid threader rods.

from the centre perforation may be made in the sheets.

The invoices or sales checks may either be laid singly on to the apparatus or they may be fed to it from a bundle from which invoices drop singly, for which purpose a special head or hopper into which large quantities of invoices can be loaded may be provided and may include means whereby only a limited number of said invoices are permitted to rest on the threaded rods at any one time so that the correct registrations of the perforations therewith may not be interfered with by the pressure due to the weight of the bundle of invoices.

The sorting device and any associated parts for applying angular movement to the sheets, may be moved angularly by hand, or'by treadle and appropriately connected operating mechanism which may be actuated electricallyor in any other desired manner, and the same operating medium may bring into action the device smoothing the sheets or means for regulating the feed from the bundle to the apparatus, when incorporated.

The abovementioned several embodiments of the invention are illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1, 2 and 3 are plan views of sales checks emanating from three different departments of a store, Figure 4 being a side view, and Figure 5 a plan view, of the sorting device, and Figure 6 being a plan view showing the three sales checks in the positions taken up by them on the sorting device.

Figures 7 to 12 inclusive illustrate a pedaloperated sorting device functioning according to the invention; Figure 7 being a front View of the apparatus, and Figure 8 a side view of the same with a portion of the hood broken away in order to show the parts covered thereby. Figure 9 is also a side view of the apparatus and illustrates the initial operative step in the sorting of a batch of sales checks some of which are shown in place above the sorting device.

Figure 10 is a sectional plan view of the head portion of the machine.

Figure 11 is a detail front view, and Figure 12 is a detail side view, of a hopper or holder for use in the bulk sorting of sales checks or other sheets.

Figure 13 is a side view of one of the sheetengaging segregating rods which may be employed.

In Figures 1, 2 and 3 there are shown sales checks I4 having slightly eccentrically thereof an axial perforation I5 of which the position is constant on all the sales checks and around which are disposed three perforations I6, I6, I6, in a triangular diagram or pattern, the position of each group of perforations orbitally with respect to the central perforation I5 varying according to the particular sales department 0, P or Q, to which each check is appropriate, and each check is also provided at the bottom right hand corner with a segregating perforation I'I.

The sorting device comprises a stand consisting of two circular plates I8, I9, secured to and spaced apart by distance posts 20, 20, 2B, the upper plate I8 being provided with a central aperture 2I, and with three apertures 22, 22, 22, the centers of which should be the same radial distances from the center of the aperture 2| as are the centers of the perforations I6 from the center of the perforation I5. The plate I9 is formed with circular recesses registering with the apertures 2I and 22, and with a footstep 23 at its center.

This stand supports removably a series of sheet-engaging members comprising a central or axial post 24 and a group of threader rods 25, 25, 25, all of which pass freely through their respective apertures in the plate I8 and rest respectively in the footstep 23 and the recesses formed in the plate I9. The central or axial post 24 is greater in height than the threader rods 25, and the upper ends of the latter are chamfered in order to facilitate their sheet-engaging action.

In the case of manual sorting, each invoice or sales check I4 is placed by hand with its central perforation I5 over the post 24 down which it drops and rests on the upper extremities of the threader rods 25, 25, 25; then the check is given relative angular movement by hand to cause it to rotate above the rods 25 until they register with the perforations I5, I6, I5, whereupon the check falls downwardly of the rods in an angular position determined by the location of the pattern of the perforations I6, I6, I6, in it; all the checks apporpriate to the different departments 0, P and Q, assuming the respective angular positions I4 I4 and M shown in Figure 6.

As has been stated above, the angular movement between the perforated sales checks or the like and the sorting device may either be imparted to each sheet or card, as has just been explained, or to the sorting device, and, when it is imparted to the latter, it may be eiiected manually or mechanically.

It will readily be appreciated that the stand and sheet-engaging rods shown in Figures 4 and 5 can easily be mounted on a known form of turntable geared to a crank handle and fixed on a pedestal or suitable base, and it is therefore unnecessary to illustrate same.

One convenient constructional form of continuous mechanical sorting apparatus for handling statistical sheets such as sales bills, sales checks, and the like individually is, however, illustrated by way of example in Figures '7 to 12 inclusive, to

. which reference will now be made.

As Will be seen from Figures 7,- 8 and 9, the stand, consisting of the plates I8, I9, and the distance or spacing posts 20 and supporting the sheet-engaging axial post 24 and threader rods 25, is mounted on a turntable 26 having centrally a square dowel 2"! engaginga .corresponding recess in the underside of the plate I9, the turntable 26 being .carried by a stub shaft 28 supported in a flanged bearing sleeve 29 disposed in an aperture formed centrally of the top 30 of a table having legs 3I, 3I, and a shelf 32 near'the bottom thereof. I

At its lower end the stub shaft 28 has keyed to it a worm 33 which meshes with a worm wheel 34 carried by a horizontal arbor 35 supported in bearings formed in a casing 36 secured to the underside of the top 30. This casing 36 has bearings for a second arbor 31 which is disposed parallel with the arbor 35 and has keyed upon it a gear wheel 38 which meshes with a pinion 39 keyed to the arbor 35 and also a sprocket wheel 46 over which passes a chain 4! one end of which is connected to a spring 42 anchored at 43 to a bracket 44 fixed to the shelf 32, and the other end of which is coupled by a link 45 to a cranked treadle lever 46 carried pivotallyby a bearing block 41 secured to the shelf 32, the sprocket wheel 40 being solid with the outerv revoluble member 48 of a free-wheel device of known form. The ratio of the gearing just referredto is so calculated that depression of the cranked treadle lever 46 to its full extent will transmit to the sorting stand l8, I9, 20, through the agency of the link 45, chain 4|, sprocket. 4|], and the train of gearing 38, 39, 34 and 33, rotary movement to an extent slightly in excess of two revolutions.

In rear of the sorting device a pair of vertical pillars 49, 49, are secured to the top 30 of the table, and near the upper end of each of said pillars 49, laterally extending lugs or pins 50, 50, are provided and support a hood 5| formed at its rear edges with bayonet slots52, 52, forengagement with said lugsor pins 5|], 50.

If desired, the lugs or pins 50, 50, may be threaded, and butterfly nuts (not shown) may be engaged therewith in order to secure the hood 5| firmly in place. When the sorting of sheets of different colors is contemplated, the hood 5| may be colored correspondingly with the color of the sheets for the time being dealt with, and may be replaced by a hood of another color when a different colored batch of sheets is required to be sorted.

53is a rockshaft carried by the pillars 49, 49, near their upper ends and having solid with it a block 54 the lower end of which carries an apertured bracket 55 and which also has fixed in it a forwardly projecting stem 56 and a rearwardly extended screw-threaded tail carrying an adjustable counterweight 55a. The upper screwthreaded end of a link 51 is secured by nuts 58 in the apertured bracket 55 and the lower end of this link 51 is hooked into the apertured upper arm 59 of a spring-controlled bell-crank lever articulated at 60 to a bracket 6| secured in a slot 62 in the top of the stand, the lower arm 63 of said bell-crank lever being apertured to receive one end of a flexible cable 64 enclosed in a casing 65 and connected at its opposite end by a yoke 65 to an operating lever 61 articulated at 68 to a bracket 69 clipped at 10 to the horizontal upper extremity of the cranked treadle lever 48.

On the forwardly projecting stem 56 there is secured an apertured and flanged boss 1| to which is attached a circular perforated plate 12 in the perforations of which are freely slidable a plurality of depending pins 13, the lower ends of which are rounded and the uper ends of which have heads |4 fixed upon them.

The operation of the above described form of the invention is as follows:

A batch of bills or the like, such as is indicated collectively in Figure 9 by the numeral 15, is placed between the depending sides of the hood 5| and passed by their central or axial perforation over the sheet-engaging axial post 24 until they rest on the upper extremities of the threader rods 25. The operator then places a foot above the cranked treadle lever 46 and depresses the cable-operating lever 61, the effect of which is to move the perforated plate 12 angularly downwards and to cause the pins 13 to press on the uppermost bill of the batch, said bill being shown slightly crumpled in Figure 9 in order to indicate the behaviour of the pins 13 which, as will be seen, ride upwardly of the perforations in the plate 12 by varying amounts and by their pressure smooth the bills. Continued pressure of the operators foot brings the lever 61 hard up against the horizontal end of the cranked treadle lever which, on being depressed to its full extent, causes the sheet-engaging threader rods to be carried round for over two revolutions with their chamfered upper extremities in contact with the underside of the bottom'bill, for the time being, of the batch, and to enter the diagram of perforations of eachsuccessive bill, the bills being maintained against rotation about the axial post 24 by the depending sides of the hood 5|.

Diuing a single down-stroke of the treadle lever 48 one or more bills will become impaled on the threader rods 25 down which they will slide by gravity in angular positions appropriate to themyas already explained, and each time foot pressure is released from the treadle lever 46 and the lever 61, these levers are returned by the action of their respective springs to -the normal or uppermost position in readiness for further downward movement which is repeated until the last of the batch of bills 15 has been sorted onto the threader rods 25. The stand l8, I9, 20 may then be removed from the turntable 26 and, after segregating rods such as 6 have been passed through the segregating corner perforations of all the groups, the post 24 and rods-25 may be removed from the stand and the grouped b lls dealt with as desired.

The apparatus just described provides a means forthe rapid intermittent sorting of bills, sales checks, or other sheets, in cases in which the number of individual bills, checks or the like inserted into the machine at any one time is 'not unduly large. In cases in which it is necessary to present large quantities of bills to the machine, the hood 5| and plate 12 and its associated parts may be dispensed with and in their place a holder or hopper maybe secured to the pillars 49, 49. i

As seen in Figures 11 and 12, two check plates 16, 16, may be mounted adjustably on transverse rods -11, 11, so as lightly to hold the sides of a batch of bills 18; the rods 11, 11, having stops 19, 19, against which the inner faces of the pillars 49, 49, abut, and having securing nuts 80, 80, secured to their ends. The rods 11, 11, also have threaded portions 8|, 8|, on which are screwed adjusting nuts 82, 82, to clamp the plates 16, 16, in position according to requirements. In this case an axial sheet-engaging post 24 is employed which extends sufficiently far upwardly of the holder or hopper to accommodate a substantial number of bills or the like.

It has already been stated above that, should it be desired to subject the bills or the like to additional statistical sorting or sub-classification, one or more additional perforated diagrams at determined radial distances from the axial perforation may be made in the sheets, and this implies that correspondingly grouped additional apertures may be formed in the plates l8, l9, into which either the same or different threader rods may be inserted.

It has been also stated above that the sheetengaging threader rods 25 are chamfered at their upper extremities in order to aiford them a progressive penetration into the perforations in the sheets and to provide a time margin for a sheet to fall during the relative angular movement between it and the threader rods, thus avoiding damage to the sheets or distortion of the perforations therein. In the case, however, of high-speed sorting, it is necessary to bend the upper extremities of the threader rods in the direction of their movement and also into coincidence with the circular path in which the centers of the sorting perforations in the sheets are disposed, so that only a fraction of the surface of the leading face of the upper end of a it I r 2,270,788

threader rod bearson the sheet when it meets a perforation therein.

It isto be understood that the above described manual and mechanical means for sorting and segregating statistical sheets are susceptible of many modifications to adapt theinvention to particular requirements.

WhatI claim is:

1. A sorting device comprising a pair of circular plates, means for connecting said plates together and retaining the same in spaced relation, an axial post removably supported within said plates and having one end extending therefrom, removable threader rods mounted upon said plates and the upper end of said axial post extending beyond said threader rods.

2. A sorting system including a plurality of statistical sheets bearing different characteristics, each perforated according to a diagram common to all and whereof the position of the perforations of one sheet orbitally of an axis normal to the plurality of sheets differs from those of other sheets according to the characteristics of the sheet, with sheets of like characteristics being perforated identically, a sheet-engaging sorting device including a group of threader rods complementary to said perforated diagram whereon individual sheets are caused by the creation of relative angular movement between the sheets and the sorting device to fall by gravity into separately positioned groups of sheets of like characteristics.

3. An apparatus for sorting perforated statistical sheets comprising a base, an axial post mounted thereupon, a sorting post mounted upon said base and spaced from said axial post and said axial post being of greater length than said sorting post, and means for exerting sufiicient pressure on the perforated statistical sheets which may have become folded or crumpled to smooth said sheets and to enable the perforations therein to register with said axial post.

4. An apparatus for sorting perforated statistical sheets including a pair of circular plates, means for connecting said plates together and retaining same in spaced relation, an axial post removably supported within said plates and having one end extending therefrom, removable threader rods supported within said plates, the upper end of said axial post extending beyond said threader rods, and means associated with the threader rods for exerting sufficient pressure on the perforated statistical sheets which may have become folded or crumpled to smooth said sheets and to enable the perforations therein to register with the threader rods.

5. An apparatus for sorting perforated statistical sheets including a base, an axial post carried by said base, threader rods carried by said base, one end of said axial post extending beyond said threader rods, means associated with the threader rods for exerting sufficient pressure on the perforated statistical sheets which have become folded or crumpled to smooth said sheets and to enable the perforations therein to register with the threader rods and means for rotating said base.

ERNEST KElVLP POR'IMAN-DIXON. 

